Homemade Acid OR Chlorine Injection System

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I just found this thread and am interested in getting this set up for feeding chlorine into my system. I'm having a hard time searching through all the threads. I found one person talking about a pinch valve. I liked the idea of that until he later said the heat caused the tube to flex easier, and change flow rates depending on weather.

So that leads me back to a plastic needle valve. But the only one I see mentioned is the one at US Plastics for $11 plus another $9 in shipping for a total of $20. It drives me insane paying as much for shipping as the little plastic part I need costs, so is there anyway to avoid that? Amazon? A local store?

Also, is clear vinyl tubing the decided standard for feed lines? Does that hold up to bleach?
 
The clear vinyl is nice because you can see the fluid flowing but it does cloud up after a while. There are more chemical resistant tubing but it cost a lot more so I just replace the vinyl when it gets too cloudy. Part of the tubing I have is the 1/4" black drip tube for irrigation and that works very well but you cannot see the fluid.


As for the valve, yes, you have to pay up for those which is why I just stuck with the drip buttons. They work good enough and I have sufficient control over the flow.

One more thing I thought of trying but just haven't yet, is to fold the line in half and put a rubber band (or twist tie) around it. I think you should be able to control flow by moving the rubber band toward and away from the fold. Crude but I think it would work. Makes clearing any clogs easier too.
 
I was kind of thinking about using some kind of clamp on the tube to control the flow as well. Hmm, so many options.

I was reading in another thread though about someone who gave up on their Liquidator because of "white crud" buildup, which I think was salt. I'm not 100% sure where this ended up, whether in the pool, or in the pump fittings, but that worried me a little bit. The stenner pump seems like perhaps the best way to go if you've got the cash to spend.
 
This is such a great idea, thanks to mas985 for sharing. I have been thinking of a way of acid injection and had decided I was going to try a gravity feed system with a timer and electronic or solenoid shutoff valve. But then I came across this post which is a much cleaner and simpler less costly approach.

To prevent siphoning I understand the acid water mixture holding tank must be below the level of the pool water surface. But before I start how do you measure the height difference between the pool water surface and the pump pad?
 
My bucket is above water level so it isn't a huge deal just as long as it isn't a large distance above the pool. The buttons or needle valve will compensate some.
 
Ok, well I got this setup. I tapped into the return line just before the filter basket and threaded in a elbow with a 1/4" barb. I'm using vinyl 1/4" tubing and a simple ball type shut off valve. That didn't work. I was not able to reduce the flow to an acceptable level. So I went with the .5 gal/hr drippers, 18 of them.

With the 18 drippers I got the flow rate down to 38 oz per day with the pump running 6 hr/day. At a 1:4 solution that's way more than the 16 oz/day of solution I think I need. So I will try more drippers, though that may not slow the flow rate down much more.

If I can't reduce the flow rate I can live with the 38 oz/day, I'll just increase the solution to a 1:8 mix. That will put the 4 oz of acid in the pool per day, the rate that I think I need. That will last 16 days in a 5 gallon bucket.

Anybody have any luck with a needle valve, like this: Oops... There Is a Problem
 
Mas985, thanks so much for all the info and research. I'm gearing up to add the acid drip. I already have a Liquidator plumbed into the pump skimmer drain, do you think I could tee off that for the acid drip, or will I need another injection point?

Thanks, Rick
 
mas985 said:
It is not a good idea to mix cl with ma as it can create cl gas.
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Where would a good location be to introduce the acid mixture to avoid this?

Also, I still have the plastic standard backflows and shut off valve that came with the Liquidator, do you think these would work in this setup? I will be getting the Hayward needle valve for metering, but if I can use one of the backflow's and the shut off valve that would be nice.

Thanks again, Rick
 
Been looking at Chlorine injection systems to maintain FC levels (day to day & over vacations etc). This idea is very innovative. Has anyone tried using an IV drip restrictor (roller wheel gizmo) and the drip vial to manage(fluid pulled from the tank before dripbuttons) and Calculate/control the injection rate?
 

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Many on the forum are using peristaltic pumps to inject chlorine and they have flow control so you don't need a drip vial.
 
Finally got all my parts and completed install today. IMG_0798.jpgCIMG0058.jpgI bit the bullet and purchased the Hayward needle valve and only using water at this time until I get the flow where I want it. I'm trying for 4 oz. of ma per day. The container is 5 gallons and to keep things simple I want to use a 4 to 1 ratio. My pump runs 9 hrs. a day and I figure my target is 20 oz. of the 4 to 1 mixture over 9 hrs. This equates to a cup every two days which is approximately what my acid demand has been. Still not sure if I need a backflow preventer yet. My pool is approx. 12" lower than the pump inlet and I'll test that tonite when the pump shuts off. What do ya think?
 
It will probably draw something while off but it could be small enough that it won't be an issue. It will just be part of the adjustments.
 
Why would it be any different for cl vs ma? In most cases, you are adding a fixed amount each day so no change is required.
 
Because in August with 90 degree days the daily usage of Chl will be greaterthen in May with 75 degree days...I am also a bit curious as to why having a high PH is so bad...I remember reading some information a long time ago on this forum that some pools just run high and its no big deal...oh and one other question....the "suction" side before the pump and I suppose any place on the return side of your setup....correct? I also liked te idea of the IV drip control mentioned above.....

Thanks for the input..really struggling if I should do a liquidator, something like this, or a SWG. I like this idea as I can do it with minimal cost to try it out prior spending $200 on a liquidator or $1,000 on a SWG.

Thanks Again.
 
Because in August with 90 degree days the daily usage of Chl will be greaterthen in May with 75 degree days
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That occurs over a fairly large time span and can be accounted for by reducing the dilution during refill or increasing pump run time.


I am also a bit curious as to why having a high PH is so bad...I remember reading some information a long time ago on this forum that some pools just run high and its no big deal
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High PH can be an issue when it forces CSI to be high as well and you have a plaster pool and/or a SWG where scaling is an issue. To prevent scaling, you want CSI to be slightly negative and for me, the only way to do that is with an acid feeder because my fill water has very high PH and TA which continually drives CSI upwards.


.the "suction" side before the pump and I suppose any place on the return side of your setup....correct
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The return side of the pump is the pressure side, so no this method would not work on the pressure side of the pump. Only the suction side.
 
As you can see in the pics, I have both. If I had stumbled across this thread prior to purchasing the Liquidator I may have gone this homemade route with the chlorine also. As it stands I'm very happy with the Liquidator after the 3/8" upgrade. I've had the acid drip running for about 4 days now and it's maintaining a 7.5 ph level so far at the current setting. It's expensive, but I highly recommend the Hayward needle valve for the acid drip. I'm able to adjust the chlorine ok with the shut off that came with the upgrade kit, but may spring for another Hayward valve, much more accurate.
 

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